King Crow

Michael Stewart

This is an unusual novel with an unexpected twist. Paul is a troubled and isolated teenager from Salford with an overwhelming obsession with ornithology to the extent that he believes he can fly. Paul and his friend go missing in the Lake District in an attempt to escape a criminal gang but more importantly for Paul, to look for ravens in their native habitat. A promising debut novel which can be enjoyed by both teenagers and adults.

Extract

I take hold of the gun and lean out of the window. I am smacked by a rush of air, I have to gasp to get my breath and my eyes water. I aim the gun at Dave, but I can't press the trigger.
Something invisible is stopping me.
- Shoot! Ashley shrieks.
There's another crunch as Dave hits the back bumper again and I nearly drop the gun out of the car.
- Do it!
I lean out of the window some more, take aim but can't bring myself to fire it. Instead, I launch it at Dave's windscreen. It tumbles through the air like a boomerang then smashes into the glass, turning the glass into a sheet of white frost. Dave's car veers to the left and crashes into a lamp post.

Parallels